“I'm an open book when it comes to the things that I have been through…I'm full of stories in class. I'm always on the lookout for anecdotes and ideas to make the lesson relevant.” – James MacDonald
From working in Canada’s most iconic newsrooms as a journalist, to leading communications and public affairs for Ontario-wide air ambulance service Ornge, James MacDonald brings a colourful array of life experiences into each lesson he teaches at the University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH).
James, now the Director of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at Ornge (an organization that provides air ambulance service and medical transport to people who are critically ill or injured), began teaching at U of GH in 2009 in the Media & Communication Studies program. He said for him, shaping minds is in his blood. With parents who were educators and principals, along with a wife, aunts, uncles, and cousins who are teachers, James said teaching feels like “the family business.”
But his deep interest in media and teaching began decades before he ever stepped into a Guelph-Humber classroom.
Beginnings in journalism
As a child growing up in Sudbury, Ont., James was fascinated by hockey. He recalled going to a game with his uncle and spoke “endlessly” about the action on the ice like a professional sports announcer. That’s when his uncle suggested he go into sports broadcast or commentating. From then on, James had a dream to work at a local TV news station.
“I've always been interested in current affairs, public affairs, and the political side as well. So, coming out of high school, I decided to do an undergraduate degree in Canadian history and political science at the University of Guelph,” he shared. But pursuing journalism was a dream he tightly held on to, which is why he earned a master’s degree in Western University’s journalism program, with a specialization in broadcast. James was determined to deliver trusted information to Canadians, especially those in smaller communities.
His first job out of Western was with CBC News. He was fortunate to be one of the first recipients of the Joan Donaldson CBC News Scholarship, meaning he was awarded with a scholarship and a job that involved shadowing national reporters that brought him to Toronto for an eight-week stint, then to Ottawa for another eight-weeks. Attending Cabinet news scrums and being so close to the Canadian prime minister was “quite a remarkable experience” for James in this role.
After taking on a position with CTV News in Sudbury and Kitchener, Ont., James and his fiancée decided it was time for a big life change. Shortly after their wedding, the couple packed their bags and moved to Hong Kong. James landed a job with CNN at its Asia Pacific headquarters acting as a features producer, and even produced a series of Japanese talk shows.
“It was a dream job in many ways, but the only thing that was wrong with it was the distance from home,” he said. After three years in Asia, it was time to return to Canada.
Homeward bound
Back in Canada, James continued to work in broadcast news (including for CP24, CHCH Hamilton, and CTV News Toronto), but began developing a curiosity for communications.
After more than a decade in news, James was ready to push himself in new ways. He began looking out for roles in communications, but vowed to only make the change if the role was in a field he found particularly interesting.
“I remember the day I received an email from somebody I went to journalism school with. There's a lesson here about maintaining your contacts…She contacted me and said, ‘I hear you're looking around. There's someone I know who is looking for somebody with media experience',” James explained. That organization was Ornge. “[The organization] involved saving lives. It involved aviation, health care. What's not to like?”
Thus, James applied for the Media Relations Officer role, which he began in May 2010 – and that marked the start of his now 15-year career with Ornge.
Going Ornge
During his time as a journalist, he honed transferrable skills in content creation (he’s a self-proclaimed “born storyteller”) and critical thinking that prepared him well for this career transition as he made the leap from journalism to communications and public affairs.
As a journalist, James said it’s essential to understand the bigger picture and contextualize facts for your audience, which are key skills in the communications field as well. His experiences as a student and as a journalist prepared him to be versatile and to be able to “literally jump into just about anything” – valuable talents to have in communications, too.
Now in a director-level role overseeing the department, James’ day-to-day duties can vary, but there’s a steadfast goal – supporting Ornge’s internal and external communications strategies to provide stakeholders with timely and accurate information, including in times of crisis.
“I went through a list of things that my team is responsible for, line by line, in an Excel spreadsheet and the number was up to 75,” he chuckled. “We deal with the public through our community relations. We will attend events. We take inquiries from the public. We have a strong social media presence… Internally, we plan town halls. We put information on our intranet, we try to facilitate strong communication among the different departments,” James explained of the different functions his team fulfills.
Since Ornge dispatches air ambulances to life-threatening emergencies across Ontario, the incidents they respond to often attract media attention. As a result, some days are busier than others.
For instance, in early 2025, a Delta Airlines plane crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Ornge was called to respond after dozens were injured. James said his team was receiving media inquiries from all over the world, with Ornge involved in tending to the injured.
“Literally anything can happen on any given day,” James said. But though working at Ornge can be intense, it’s immensely rewarding.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Ornge was involved in an initiative called “Operation Remote Immunity.” Working with the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN), this was a campaign to vaccinate all northern remote Indigenous communities in the province with two doses of the shot – a tremendous undertaking and a great show of teamwork among Ornge, various government agencies and other partners. James said his team not only tackled communications related to the logistics of the rollout, but also developed effective messaging to combat vaccine hesitancy, while ensuring communities felt informed, included, and engaged throughout the process. This ultimately earned Ornge and NAN an IABC OVATION Award.
Moreover, he said the most rewarding part of his job is seeing initiatives like this come to life – especially when teams across the organization come together to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. James loves to celebrate in others’ success.
“There is nothing better in both my current role at Ornge and in my teaching career than seeing people find success,” James said with a smile.
Career experiences becoming teachable moments
With each win, challenge, and tribulation, James has grown as a professional over his decades working in media. His lived experiences helped shaped him into the professional he is today – someone with deep knowledge of the industry, who’s a supportive leader, and passionate educator. He loves sharing it all with his students.
“I'm an open book when it comes to the things that I have been through,” James said. “I'm full of stories in class. I'm always on the lookout for anecdotes and ideas to make the lesson relevant.”
James combines theory with hands-on learning in the classroom; he believes simulating real scenarios – like those he has experienced on the job – will give students tools for success and prepare them for their careers.
For example, U of GH students are given a scenario, and they’re responsible for crafting messaging on behalf of an organization to respond to it, culminating in a mock press conference with an appointed spokesperson.
“They come up to the front of the room [during the simulation] and I interview them live, in front of the class. There’s an audible gasp when I tell them what we’re going to do, but without fail, they take on the challenge, and we go through it together,” James said.
Advice for future media professionals
James’ advice for students based on his own journey is to keep an open mind, especially at the start of their careers. Even if an experience is perceived as a failure, there’s always a way to grow from it.
“You walk away with some experience, even if it wasn't a great experience. You've learned something about yourself as part of that,” he declared.
To learn more about the Media and Communication Studies program, click here.